JPMorgan Chase & Co has sued the Washington Mutual Inc holding company and urged a federal bankruptcy court not to interfere with its September purchase of the thrift's banking operations.

The lawsuit was filed Tuesday with the U.S. bankruptcy court in Delaware, three days after Washington Mutual sued the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp for well over $13 billion in connection with the purchase.

Washington Mutual accused the regulator of agreeing to an unreasonably low $1.9 billion price in arranging the sale of its banking operations to JPMorgan last September 25.

Regulators seized Washington Mutual that day and appointed the FDIC as receiver.

JPMorgan said it sued to ensure that it does not lose any of its interests in Washington Mutual's banking operations, which it said it bought in good faith. It also wants to be reimbursed for various claims it might face over the purchase.

David Berz, a lawyer for Washington Mutual, did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

The Washington Mutual parent is trying to pay creditors with amounts it recovers in its Chapter 11 proceedings.

The JPMorgan case is In re Washington Mutual Inc, U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware (Wilmington), No. 08-12229. The earlier Washington Mutual case is Washington Mutual Inc v. Federal Deposit Insurance Corp, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, No. 09-00533.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel; editing by John Wallace)

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